


float on

by noctizanagi



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Fix-It of Sorts, Light Angst, Ryuji is a Good Boy, Trip Down Memory Lane
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-02-13 21:03:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12992478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noctizanagi/pseuds/noctizanagi
Summary: The Phantoms started up the boat, and Ryuji’s eyes trailed down to the nearing fire. He knew, deep down, that he would be charred in a few seconds - not nearly enough time for them to rescue him. “I effin’ love you guys!” He yelled, louder than he knew he could, hoping they would hear his last hurrah. “Make sure that shitbag is truly gone!”[-OR- Ryuji needs his strength for the days ahead, and he finds it in the memories of the past.]





	1. Chapter 1

Ryuji observed the events below with some form of apathy in his eyes, fully knowing and accepting his fate. Akira grinned up at him, and he managed a smile, holding out a thumbs up that would’ve been reassuring if he wasn’t above a sinking ship. His brown eyes glittered in fear, fire dancing in the orbs, reflecting the chaos both within and below.  _ I’ve had a good effin’ run, Saiten Tensei. Let’s make the most of it. _

 

And the blond wasn’t all too surprised when both Saiten Tensei and Cap’n Kidd chimed into their  _ definitely, kiddo. _

 

The Phantoms started up the boat, and Ryuji’s eyes trailed down to the nearing fire. He knew, deep down, that he would be charred in a few seconds - not nearly enough time for them to rescue him. “I effin’ love you guys!” He yelled, louder than he knew he could, hoping they would hear his last hurrah. “Make sure that shitbag is truly gone!”

 

And Ryuji felt fire seeping through to his skin as he slipped off the pole, baring his teeth in a wild grin, arms thrown askew as the water absorbed him. He never expected to wake up, but when he did, it was to a sky full of stars. Over the searing pain on his chest, he could hear muffled crying and angered yelling, familiar yet so unknown at the same time. 

 

_ Ryuji ripped the mask off his face, revelling in power as blood trailed down his skin and dripped onto the stones of the castle. He gave a crooked grin as he yelled his Persona’s name, pointing a finger at the corrupt man in front of him. He could remember the slight awe and excitement in his own soul, and the  _ pride  _ in Akira’s eyes. _

 

The moment flashed behind his eyelids, but Ryuji was almost sure he wasn’t dying from a few bad burns. His Persona flickered in the air in front of him. ‘You’ll need to stay strong in the days ahead, Sakamoto. Remember your friends.’

 

_ He sat at the counter of the ramen shop, scarfing down noodles with Ann and Akira. Morgana poked his head out of the bag occasionally to eat a piece of meat, purring in pleasure. Ryuji couldn’t hide a snicker at the cat-like behavior he was showing, since he all too often insisted he wasn’t a feline. _

 

_ The blond sat back-to-back with Futaba, reading one of his newer mangas - Kingdom Hearts - while the other typed away at their computer. They both were silent as they tested the waters of new things, but they weren’t lonely; simply being in the presence of the other made the room feel full.  _

 

_ Yusuke painted the shifting boy in front of him, face set as Ryuji tried to be a good subject for the other’s art. He was wearing a flower crown and his purple glasses-jacket ensemble, although he didn’t see why he was a good candidate for this - after all, Akira always teased that he could never sit still.  _

 

_ Haru and Makoto blushed as Ryuji teased them about their obvious crushes, a laid-back smile curving his lips. They lightly slapped his arm, nervous giggling erupting from their lips as he continued. Akira came up to the rooftop and put a stop to it by flirting with the blond, ensuing chaos in the normally peaceful garden.  _

 

The night took in the boy’s chuckles, the memories dancing in his vision causing him a lot of joy. Ryuji lifted an arm to his forehead, brushing back his hair as his grimace shifted into a grin. The crying he had heard nearby paused, and shifting came right after. There were footsteps, and then a worried face was hovering close to his. It took a few moments to recognize it as Akira’s. “Yo, ‘kira… Sorry if I made ya cry or somethin’...” 

  
“You had me worried, Ryu’. But right now, I’m just glad you’re okay,” Akira murmured. The footsteps of the other Phantoms stomped the grass around the blond down, and then there were more faces around him. It was too much, and with that crooked grin still on his face, Ryuji slipped into sleep.

* * *

 


	2. dashboard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [edited and reposted as a second part to this series!]

When he woke up, he was standing next to the Phantoms on the exploding boat again, hair ruffling as Futaba panicked. ‘But I was just- I already did this?! What the eff…’ Ryuji hummed in confusion, before looking to Ann and realizing that if he wanted to save his friends this time too, he would have to start running like the stars were falling behind him. Slipping off his mask, he shot Akira a shaky grin. “I’ve got this, leader.”

 

And the thumping of his boots against the metal did much to block out the protests of his team, and it brought a new energy into his veins to be running again. Ryuji almost stumbled, but caught himself right before the big jump and vaulted into the air. It felt great to be flying across galaxies, the entire universe caught in the glass of the water below him. The excitement and fear backing his movements allowed the blond to forget for just a moment what was going on.

 

It was inevitable to avoid, though, as Ryuji scaled the ladder leading to the emergency boat. Again, he knew how this would end, but why was he here again? Was it a trick of the Metaverse? He recalled some sort of manga where the protagonist was stuck in a time loop until they did everything right and set the universe on a good path. Ryuji knew he was no manga protagonist, but the events he had experienced didn’t make the idea seem too crazy. Hands pulled the bar down and Ryuji pulled himself down as well, ready for what was going to happen. 

 

_ ‘You’ll need to stay strong in the days ahead, Sakamoto. Remember your friends.’ _

 

Ryuji felt that as he looked down on the recurring event, he knew why his Persona had advised him as such. There was a small grin that overtook his lips as fire engulfed him, the boy falling to the ground like a meteor coming in for a crash landing. Maybe he had the chance to change the future for the better. He wouldn’t know, though, because darkness shoved his eyelids down quicker than he could think about the oddity.

 

-

 

The stars above were cloudy, and outraged voices, crying voices rang out around the blond. He woke up, chest not burned and skin unharmed, stumbling to his feet in confusion. This wasn’t like the last time, and a flicker of fear entered his expression - not that he let it show. Instead, he put on a grin and walked over to the Phantoms with two hands tucked into deep pockets. 

 

“Wh- Ryuji?! I- We thought you were dead!” Ann flinched back, one hand reaching out to try and touch Ryuji’s chest as if to make sure he was real. On second thought, that was probably what she was doing, considering that he had seemed pretty dead as a meteor. “You jerk!” And the first slap rang across his skin.

 

Ryuji couldn’t say a word, couldn’t get one in as the girls first yelled at him and then began letting out their anger in physical form. It reminded him all too much of the track team, of how he let them beat him up after he had been accused of attacking Kamoshida. 

 

This didn’t seem right to him, but the moon seemed to laugh when he was left alone against the lamppost, bruised and beaten up for saving lives. After all, they were just angry, right?  _ Stay strong. Remember your friends.  _

 

“Easier said than done, for eff’s sake…”

 

-

 

As Akira walked away, dark spots overtook his vision and he recognized the day resetting. The events had changed, and that scared him, but at least he was the only one affected by this curse… right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a] if this looks familiar then it is - this work was previously in a series that i decided could be condensed into a single work.  
> b] poor good boi


	3. the good times are killing me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [edited and republished as the third and final part to this work!]

The stars glimmered in the water, and a noirette braced himself for yet another loop of the event. First, the blond would run, and then he would pull down the boat. And then, the explosions rang out, and Akira had to watch as Ryuji fell into the cold water below him. The timeline after that was always different, sometimes good sometimes bad, but always different. It chilled Akira, and his grey eyes held concern - for one of his worries was slowly being realized, and recognized.

 

It was somewhere in the twenties, Akira wasn’t sure. Ryuji was becoming more toned down everytime, eyes drooping lower and bags under his eyes darkening with every loop. It had come to the point where the boy would just stare up at the sky after he ran, a small smirk on his face that was traced with bittersweet acceptance. He then would simply accept the events that came next with his normal wit and reaction, but Akira saw straight through to the awareness running through his veins. ‘Shit…’

 

It was getting tedious at this point, and as Futaba panicked for the however-th time and Ann pointed out the boat, Akira glanced over to Ryuji. “Skull, you,” he struggled to find the right words for a pause, “you aren’t alone in this, I promise.” If Ryuji realized what he meant by that, good, if not, then a pep talk wasn’t so bad either. Akira could swear that the other boy ran faster this time, as if his determination was recovered. When he fell, it was almost like the first time, and Akira thought that maybe they could talk about this before the next loop.

 

Ryuji hit the surface with a splash and sunk beneath, arms floating above him. He fought to keep his eyes open and stay out of the next loop, but a wave of debris hit him like a bus - and darkness flashed back into the past. Akira seemed equally as exasperated, hand clenching into a fist as he stared ahead. 

 

_ “Hey, Akira, check this shit out. It seems pretty bad.” Ryuji held up a new manga, handing it to the noirette above him before proceeding to wait [im]patiently. Akira’s eyes scanned the art and dialogue, flicking through the next couple pages with his signature invisible expression. “It’s some sort of time mix-up. I’d rather die than be stuck in one of those.” _

 

_ “Killing seems less corrupt than trapping someone in that sort of loop. How do they get out of it?” Akira questioned, handing the book back and hanging over the edge of the mattress. The blond’s eyes lit up. He flipped through a few dozen pages before pointing to a scene with the protagonist grabbing another, injured boy.  _

 

_ Taking a deep breath, and then - “Alright so this dude, he’s the one stuck, he has to save someone and he realizes it after a long time. So he saves that person and continues on, and then the events don’t repeat again. It’s pretty shitty to be stuck in one of those loops to begin with though, like you said. Even if they do end up saving someone, you know?” _

 

_ “Yeah, it’s a pretty messed up pastime.” _

 

-

 

The bar was thrown from the ladder, knocking into the lever and pulling it down as it clattered into the water. Ryuji grinned, a wild, reckless grin, before calling out a name that hadn’t been said in all too long. “Cap’n Kidd!” The Persona appeared, looking more solid than mirage as opposed to normal. ‘How did you even - you know what kid, thanks. Let’s go save ‘em.’ 

 

Skull leaped onto the wooden deck, yelling down to his family. “Don’t worry about me! Just keep going! I love you guys, remember that!”  _ I’m going to break this chain, and free Akira at the least. Even if it costs my life, it’s alright. We’ve gotta get rid of these shitty adults!  _ The debris falling made it hard to navigate to the floating floorboards that used to be the engine room, and more than once a stone or two scraped Ryuji’s skin. Even so, the pair of Persona and wielder continued.

 

He could feel a heartbeat, and knew with almost absolute certainty that he was indeed on time. The limp body of none other than Goro Akechi laid on the remnants of the boat, about to be consumed by fire and the collapsing Palace. “I don’t effin’ think so.” Ryuji made one last jump, pulling out his phone as he did so, leg buckling as he knelt next to the former ace detective. “We’re getting out of here, you crazy son of a gun.”

 

_ “It’s pretty shitty to be stuck in one of those loops to begin with though, like you said.” _

 

Pale fingers fumbled with the Nav, one hand clutching onto Goro’s arm as if it was a life support and it was the only thing keeping him alive. “C’mon, c’mon, I didn’t do all this shit for nothin’.”

 

_ “Even if they do end up saving someone, you know?” _

 

The world flickered around them, and the two vanished just as the Metaverse collapsed in on itself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a] aGAIN, if you have seen this before, i deleted the original work to condense it into a three part work! it's still the same work though, don't worry  
> b] akechi is a trash man [tm superbutterbuns] but he still deserves redemption, rip  
> c] ryuji IS the good boi

**Author's Note:**

> a) kingdom hearts is such a good game series hdkdhd  
> b) ryuji wears glasses, yes again, although he probably just wears contacts when they end up going into the metaverse  
> c) this is  
> this is definitely a fix-it fic alongside a series fic tbh  
> i hated the original scene for this in the game, because they could've done so much with this scene and tHEY DIDN'T AND UGH  
> d) PSA - ryuji is not just comic relief ok ok
> 
> [Hope y'all enjoyed it]


End file.
